If your dog is lost, take immediate action to find it! Conspiracy to return

Total 791 Today: 1

During a walk, the dog tore the leash out of his hands, jumped into the thicket of nearby bushes and disappeared without a trace? After a two-hour fruitless search, we have to admit the fact - the dog is lost. What to do, what to do in the first hours of the search, where to go for help, how to find your pet quickly?

What to do if your dog is lost

It is immediately necessary to develop a clear plan for finding it. This should include actual local searches and submission of advertisements to local newspapers and online groups.

The owner's first actions

What to do if you lost your dog, first of all:

1. Immediately search the area and the nearest area where the dog was walking.
2. Ask for help from acquaintances and friends living in different areas - the dog can end up anywhere.
3. How to find a dog in a big city - of course, turn to social networks: make publications on all available Internet platforms. Also call shelters and veterinary clinics.
4. Print and post wanted posters: make 100 text copies plus about the same number of small business cards with the number and description of the loss - they can be distributed to dog lovers.
5. Request recordings from video cameras of nearby places, for example, from streets or private courtyards, shops. To do this, you need to know the date and approximate time period of the loss. However, to obtain video materials, you need to write a statement to the police department. Then the records will be provided, but not earlier than 2-3 days from the date of application.
6. If the animal has not yet been found, the radius of exploration of the area should be expanded. In a village you can find a dog relatively quickly, but in large cities the matter becomes more complicated. You need to go around all areas, even the most remote and remote ones.

Important! You need to start acting as quickly as possible after discovering the loss; you should not expect the animal to find its home on its own.

With a leash or harness, the animal has fewer opportunities to escape

How to find a runaway dog

Success in finding a lost item largely depends on the speed of reaction. You need to act immediately:

• You need to notify all your friends and neighbors about the loss. Don't be shy about asking passersby. Children who are more curious and observant, as well as local dog walkers, can be good helpers. You need to take business cards with you or prepare pieces of paper with contact information in advance. Sometimes people cannot immediately figure out whether they have seen such a dog or whether they will see it later, and then they can immediately call.
• Printed advertisements are usually posted on entrances, bus stops and poles. Ideally, they should have a photo of the animal. On tear-off pieces of paper with a phone number there should be the inscription: “the dog is missing and a mini photo of the animal.” The reward can serve as a good motivation, but it has a clear disadvantage - calls from scammers begin to pour in. You should never give money in advance, much less transfer it to any cards or accounts, without making sure that the information is accurate.
• Social networks are an indispensable resource when looking for four-legged friends. Information about a missing dog with a good quality photograph and an accurate description will quickly spread if you ask those who care to repost it. There are also specialized websites that post advertisements about found and missing dogs. You can register for the duration of the search and subscribe to the newsletter about new advertisements.
• Notify local clinics and shelters about your missing dog. If it is chipped and stolen, the doctor will be able to read the chip number and, if there is a match, notify the true owner.

If a dog runs away from home and does not return to command, this is already an obedience problem. It needs to be solved by training. Any advice without the desire to work with the animal will come to naught, as will attempts to explain that there is no need to run away when there is a convenient loophole in the fence.

Why a dog can run away from its owners, the main reasons

A dog can go missing for the following reasons:

• External stimuli: sudden movements, loud sounds, the appearance of strangers - all this can cause fear. Without a leash, in this case the animal can run and get lost. A harness is especially important, for example, in a forest or unfamiliar area.
• Curiosity. In summer there are a lot of different smells, and your pet will be happy to explore them. If the dog is not trained in special commands, it will be difficult to call.
• Insufficient physical activity. If you spend little time in the fresh air with your dog, then at any opportunity he will strive to break free.
• Display of aggression, possible punishment from the owner. Dogs are sensitive to human moods and emotions. The animal will constantly run away from an owner who is angry or behaves rudely.
• Physiological reasons - the period of estrus in females, to which other dogs react.

If the dog runs away from the yard

In a private home or country house, dogs are often placed outside in an enclosure, on a chain. Even a well-bred and trained animal can run away when exposed to certain external factors. The main reasons why a dog runs away from the site:

1. Fear. Pets have a sensitive psyche and are often afraid of sharp sounds - thunder, car horns or pyrotechnic explosions. In such situations, they begin to behave restlessly, which leads to atypical behavior.
2. Boredom. For example, if the owner is away from home for a long time. As a rule, this happens with close emotional contact and good socialization of the pet. Escapes often occur due to boredom and with insufficient physical activity.
3. Curiosity. The animal may become interested in something outside the yard. It could be a passerby with food or a pleasant smell, a passing cat, or another dog. In such a situation, the pet begins to dig a tunnel and tries to jump over the fence.

To avoid your four-legged friend escaping from the yard, you need to provide maximum protection and isolation from the outside world. Most dogs run away through the fence - they dig under it or jump over it, crawling through holes. It is necessary to ensure reliable protection of the territory and regularly check its integrity.

Most often, representatives of hunting breeds escape (they love to dig, do it efficiently and quickly), as well as large animals capable of high jumps.

Regardless of the size of the breed, it is recommended to tie the dog when you leave home. A securely fastened chain is suitable for this purpose, since the rope can be easily chewed. You should pay attention to the convenience and reliability of the collar - it should fit snugly to the neck and be comfortable for the pet.

The length of the leash should be sufficient for free access to the enclosure or booth, bowls of food, and water. Tangling the legs is strictly prohibited - this method is used only for cattle and horses in the stall.

What to do if a dog runs away - algorithm and methods for combing the surrounding area

In the first half hour to an hour, you need to repeat the entire usual walking route with the dog, go around your favorite places, dog parks, etc. You can leave someone close to you at home in case the pet decides to find a home on its own. It’s worth bringing a dog’s squeaking toy: the animal may respond more quickly to its sound, as well as the familiar voice of the owner.

It is necessary to explore the surrounding areas, because the animal could have run into someone’s dacha or hidden behind garages. In this case, it is better to use a car or a bicycle; the underground metro in this case, on the contrary, will interfere with exploring the surrounding area. If the pet is not found after a day or two, you should begin a large-scale search throughout the city, involving friends and social networks.

It is better to train a dog that is difficult to train together with a dog handler.

According to experts, usually during the day a domestic dog hides somewhere, and at night it comes out to eat and look for its owner. Therefore, even in the dark, you cannot stop the search operation. It is especially dangerous if your pet goes missing in winter. A dog adapted to live only in the warm and comfortable conditions of an apartment will not last long in the cold.

Note! In the first 10-12 hours the dog may still be within 10-15 km of home.

Posting advertisements in the area and posting them on the Internet

One of the first aids in finding a four-legged friend is the Internet. Periodically you need to look through social networks in sections about lost/found animals in the city. And most importantly, place your own ad: on Avito, Instagram, VK or My World, in groups of shelters and volunteer organizations, on the page of local events. In a publication about finding a dog you need:

• Write the text. It should occupy half or a third of the ad. The article states that a dog has disappeared, briefly describes the conditions of its disappearance, the approximate area - without an exact address; The characteristic features of the animal are given.
• Take a good (black and white) photo of your pet: it should take up half a sheet of paper.
• Provide a contact phone number – 1 or 2 numbers.
• Enter the amount of remuneration. Money will encourage the finder (or thief) to give the pet back to the owner, so the chances of being reunited with the pet will increase.

Important! You cannot indicate the breed of the animal and, if available, the brand number - this information can be used by scammers. By the way, purebred, expensive dogs are returned much less often.

Loss announcements should be brief and informative

Where to go if lost

The owner of a dog can seek support not only from friends, but also call specialized institutions where they can identify a homeless animal.

Shelters, veterinary clinics, police

When thinking about how to find a dog if it has run away, and where it might be, you should also take into account the fact that it could already be found. For example, they could report a stray dog, and it was taken to the SAH or a shelter. Also, the animal could have been injured, and passers-by took it to the clinic for treatment. From there he was taken in by new owners or, again, assigned to foster care or to a boarding school for dogs. The owner of the dog should call the nearest institutions, explain his situation and ask about the animals received. In this case, you need to indicate the distinctive features of the pet, the presence of a collar, chip or brand, etc. - everything that can help in identification. A person should be prepared to go to a shelter or hospital if they can provide important information.

How to stop a dog from running away

There are several methods to teach a dog not to run away from its owner during a walk in the yard. Basic Rules:

1. Teach your pet the “come to me” command. This is recommended to be done in early childhood, when the opportunity arises for walks on the street. You need to call in a joyful and cheerful tone, reinforce the result with treats and encouragement. It is forbidden to scold an animal even if it disobeys. The main goal is to teach how to come to the leg after repeating the command once.
2. Designate places on the site where the pet can walk freely. Select a place for the enclosure and insulate it if necessary. Place bowls of water and food nearby.
3. From puppyhood, teach the animal to tolerate loneliness. Gradually increase the time when the dog is alone. You can leave the camera at home to monitor behavior.
4. When walking, use a comfortable collar; the length of the leash should be sufficient for comfortable movement and your control.

If your dog regularly tries to run away during walks, then you need to take a full course of OKD. This will help teach your pet basic commands; a professional dog trainer will suggest patterns of behavior with a disobedient pet.

Can an animal return home on its own?

Animals should not be underestimated - the dog can return to its owners on its own. Even if the pet has gone quite far, thanks to its excellent sense of smell, it can find its way. If for any reason the dog gets off the leash and does not respond to the call, it is also capable of returning. But in the latter case, the presence of an emotional connection with the owner plays a significant role - wild animals tend to disappear forever.

On a note! If the animal does not respond well to commands and tends to run away, it is worth purchasing a special GPS collar. Through communication with the satellite, it will signal the pet’s location and speed up the search process.

There are special devices for constant monitoring of your pet.

What to do if your pet is found

First of all, you need to carefully examine him for fractures, wounds and parasites. You can take him to the vet right away. Then the dog needs to be washed, treated, fed and given the opportunity to sleep well. You also need to take the time to delete posts and express gratitude to all the helpers. If desired, pay a reward to the most active participants in the search.

Any owner of a four-legged pet should know what to do if the dog runs away and be prepared in advance for unforeseen circumstances. The initial task is to throw all your physical strength into the search, putting aside all other matters.